Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticised England for being too casual on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. He added that England haven’t shown the sense of urgency which was expected as well. However, after winning the toss on a green track and under overcast conditions, they couldn’t use it despite going in with four pacers. Australia scored 339-5 at stumps on a day interrupted multiple times by rain as well.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “I worry about England. I see too much casualness. They switched off last week at Edgbaston and today when it has really mattered, England haven’t been switched on quick enough and hard enough to win the moment. Some of the messages, particularly after the loss at Edgbaston, were very positive, almost as if England had won that Test match. They hadn’t, they’d lost. If you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.”
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However, England’s bowlers failed to restrict Australia’s opening pair David Warner and Usman Khawaja as they added an opening stand of 73. Josh Tongue then managed to dismiss both openers, while Joe Root picked up a couple later in the day. And, Vaughan also took a dig at England for taking the Ashes series too lightly.
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“I just get the sense that it’s just another game of cricket. The Ashes is not just another game of cricket,” he said. “You can be as casual as you like against many other sides, but I’m afraid this is when it matters. Against Australia, this is what defines you. They haven’t bowled well enough, haven’t caught well enough and they’re bowling no-balls. It is just not good enough. When they got David Warner out, Steve Smith got four or five juicy half-volleys. It got him going,” he concluded.
